7 Vintage Moon Mission Images for Apollo 11 Anniversary

Forty-four years ago on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon's surface, successfully completing humankind's first manned lunar landing as part of the Apollo 11 spaceflight

Eight years prior, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy had challenged a joint special session of Congress: "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." In response, NASA scientists persevered through failed missions and various setbacks to achieve the far-flung objective during the Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong himself recently remarked on the uncertainty of the mission, saying he believed the lunar module only had a 50% chance of completing its objective and landing on the moon's surface